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<p><SPAN class="panel-title"> World Building Basics -- BayCon 2012 </SPAN> <SPAN class="dateline"> 27.05.2012 14.30h </SPAN></p>
<ul class="taglist">
<li class="tags">
Worldbuilding
</li>
<li class="tags">
Setting
</li>
<li class="tags">
Culture
</li>
<li class="tags">
Milieu
</li>
<li class="tags">
Geology
</li>
<li class="tags">
Astronomy
</li>
</ul>

<BR/>
<DIV class="intro">
Discussion of the basics in world-building.
</DIV>

<DIV class="panelists">
<ul>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Sanderson">Brandon Sanderson</a> - Brandon</li>
<li><a href="http://dedalvs.conlang.org/">David J. Peterson</a> - David [created languages]</li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1970395.Eytan_Kollin">Eytan Kollin</a></li>
<li><a href="http://sciencefictionmusings.blogspot.com/2009/09/meet-sf-author-juliette-wade.html">Juliette Wade</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nippon2007.us/participants/macewen_participant.php">Pat MacEwan</a></li>
<li>Paula Butler
</DIV>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<DIV class='bibliography'>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/World-Building-Science-Fiction-Writing-Stephen/dp/158297134X">Gilette, Steve. Worldbuilding</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Upon-Deep-Zones-Thought/dp/0765329824/">Vinge, Vernon. Fire on the Deep</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dune-40th-Anniversary-Edition-Chronicles/dp/0441013597/">Herbert, Frank. Dune</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mayflower-Story-Courage-Community-War/dp/0670037605">Philbrick, Nathaniel. Mayflower</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Spirit-Catches-Fall-Down/dp/0374525641/">Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down</a>
</DIV>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="resource">Resource</h3>
<DIV class="bibliograpy">
<ul>
<li><a href="http://wikidpad.sourceforge.net/">Wikipad</a> &lt;/DIV</li>
</ul>
### Notes
<div class="notes">

<p>Major topics in world creation:</p>
<ul>
<li>planetary body - astronomy, geology, biology</li>
<li>culture - language, philosophy, religion, economics, family relations</li>
</ul>
<p>Paula: You can build the world, and see what results, or reverse engineer, what kind of world would result in the target traits?</p>
<p>You must create a sense of how everything is connected.</p>
<p>Build a world around what will suit the characters and the story.</p>
<p>You can't do everything in every story.</p>
<p>For a big world, focus on very critical areas and do not show everything -- focus through the characters and in terms the characters understand. Imply that there's more than you can see directly.</p>
<p>You give your characters a history, do so for your world as well.</p>
<p>Use subtle clues. A few small details can carry an entire setting.</p>
<p>&quot;As you know, Bob&quot; ~~ &quot;Maid and Butler&quot; (in stageplays)</p>
<p>Don't show off your world -- don't self-indulge.</p>
<p>Your book is a window into that world. Find details that let readers trust you and believe the world exists beyond the story.</p>
<p>If you have maps, don't show only the places the characters are going.</p>
<p>With little effort, you can get 80% of the way there. The remaining 20% -- and with the 80% less changes when getting feedback.</p>
<p>Lots of words for something doesn't mean anything.</p>
<p>Language is tied to culture.</p>
<p>The boundary between literalism and metaphor is hard to place precisely.</p>
<p>Fantasy was not so good at world-building after Tolkien. Much of the fantasy after Tolkien did not stray far.</p>
<p>Tolkien had been to many places, which showed in his writing.</p>
<h3 id="underworld-building">Underworld Building</h3>
<p>Underworld building, e.g., Buffy or Firefly, is also a good idea.</p>
<p>The less technically advanced aren't &quot;nobel savages&quot;</p>
<ul>
<li>Chinese 19th century-mid 20th century</li>
<li>&quot;Black Elk Speaks&quot;</li>
<li>Zuni outsider story</li>
<li>1st Person accounts from 1st Nations</li>
</ul>
<p>There are not only diagreements between cultures, but diversity within them. Make at least one major division within a culture, and different relationships to outsiders.</p>
<p>Look at it as groups which look out for their own interests.</p>
<p>It is possible to reject a culture overall but not its material aspects.</p>
<p>Ethnic identity is most sharply defined at the boundaries, the most interesting area.</p>
<p>If you change the realtive value of things, you can give the world a very alien feel.</p>
<p>When is research enough? What are the telling details? Point to those, only a few can give a good feel.</p>
<p>Keep track of, and index, all decisions about the universe.</p>
<p>Constructed Languages (&quot;conlangs&quot;) Phonology first, then how to combine it. The words being created must fit together. Focus on what's important. Morphology. Place names have history.</p>
</DIV>

